With similar public space projects being increasingly scrutinized for fueling gentrification in surrounding neighborhoods, the real challenge for Philly’s Rail Park is not just fundraising enough to build a crown jewel park for the city, but one that equitably serves the surrounding community.
The proposed Sydney Harbour High Line would connect several major public spaces by creating a 2-mile walking path along the railroad between the Lavender Bay and Waverton stations in Sydney’s North Shore. Unlike many similar rails-to-trails projects, trains would continue to run adjacent to the pedestrian walkway.
Two Austin businessmen have teamed up to donate $5 million to the Waller Creek revitalization project and are now challenging others to step forward and do the same. This money will help fund the development of the 35-acre Waller Creek Park, which will stretch 1.5 miles through downtown Austin, from Lady Bird Lake to East 15th Street.
The Design Trust for Public Space has been exploring the possibility of activating one of New York’s largest pieces of underutilized space: the underpasses beneath highways, elevated trains, and bridges, or what it calls “el space.”
Despite a series of delays, the first section of Philadelphia’s highly-anticipated Rail Park will open to the public on June 14th. This phase stretches along a quarter mile of the former Reading Viaduct rail line, from Callowhill to North Broad and Noble Street.
An immersive art exhibition by Carlos Cruz-Diez will open this weekend in one of Buffalo Bayou Park’s most unique venues, the Cistern. Once an underground city reservoir, the cavernous structure was restored and repurposed for public use by Buffalo Bayou Partnership in 2016.
From Malaysia to Dubai, luxury developments are rising on artificial islands and coastlines. Everybody wins—except the local sea life and the fishermen who depend on it.
Houston’s new hike-and-bike trail connection between White Oak Bayou Greenway and Buffalo Bayou trails marks another milestone for the Bayou Greenways 2020 project, an initiative to transform underutilized land along nine major waterways into a 150-mile linear park and trail system.
Going green is a cornerstone of contemporary urban policy planning—and cultivating a green identity has become vital in boosting a city’s economic profile. But in the race to develop these initiatives, some cities are proving better at branding than in actually creating equitable green spaces for all citizens.
While there seems to be significant community support around a proposal to transform a neglected elevated railroad line into a linear park in Buffalo, New York, there’s some concern that the participants in the planning process don’t represent the racial and ethnic diversity of the city.
